CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile) has been an ISO standard for vector and composite vector/raster picture definition since
1987. It has been a registered MIME type since 1995. CGM has a significant following in technical illustration, electronic
documentation, geophysical data visualization, amongst other application areas. WebCGM is a profile for the effective application
of CGM in Web electronic documents. WebCGM has been a joint effort of the CGM Open Consortium, in collaboration with W3C staff
and supported by the European Commission Esprit project. It represents an important interoperability agreement amongst major
users and implementors of CGM, and thereby unifies current diverse approaches to CGM utilization in Web document applications.
WebCGM's clear and unambiguous conformance requirements will enhance interoperability of implementations, and it should be
possible to leverage existing CGM validation tools, test suites, and the product certification testing services for application
to WebCGM. While WebCGM is a binary file format and is not "stylable", nevertheless WebCGM follows published W3C requirements
for a scalable graphics format where such are applicable. The design criteria for the graphical content of WebCGM aimed at
a balance between graphical expressive power on the one hand, and simplicity and implementability on the other. A small but
powerful set of metadata elements is standardized in WebCGM, to support the functionalities of: hyperlinking and document
navigation; picture structuring and layering; and, search and query on WebCGM picture content.